The 12th International Conference on Environmental ... - Events
The 12th International Conference on Environmental ... - Events
The 12th International Conference on Environmental ... - Events
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Sessi<strong>on</strong> 28 Abstracts<br />
EPA proposed amendments to its standards in August 2005, and provided 90 days for public comment. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Agency held meetings<br />
and hearings in Nevada and Washingt<strong>on</strong>, D.C. during the comment period. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> final standards were issued in October 2008,<br />
al<strong>on</strong>g with a separate document c<strong>on</strong>taining resp<strong>on</strong>ses to all public comments.<br />
This paper will describe and discuss the amendments to EPAs standards, including the compliance period, the individual-protecti<strong>on</strong><br />
standard, the statistical method to measure compliance, the method by which doses are calculated, and specificati<strong>on</strong>s regarding<br />
features, events, and processes.<br />
5) EXPERIENCE WITH TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUPS IN THE<br />
JAPANESE HLW DISPOSAL PROGRAMME - 16290<br />
Hiroyuki Tsuchi, Kazumi Kitayama, Akira Deguchi, Yoshiaki Takahashi,<br />
Nuclear Waste Management Organizati<strong>on</strong> of Japan (Japan); Toshiaki Ohe, Tokai University (Japan):<br />
Charles McCombie, Arius Associati<strong>on</strong> (Switzerland); Ian McKinley, McKinley C<strong>on</strong>sulting (Switzerland)<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Japanese HLW implementing organisati<strong>on</strong>, NUMO, was established 10 years ago and, over this period, has been very successful<br />
in developing a high internati<strong>on</strong>al profile and a reputati<strong>on</strong> for innovative approaches to solving technical issues. To some<br />
extent this reflected the solid basis of technical expertise that had already been built up over the previous 20 years, but the need for<br />
innovati<strong>on</strong> also resulted from the special boundary c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s required by the decisi<strong>on</strong> to adopt a volunteering approach to repository<br />
siting. It was recognised that a call for volunteers had to be supported by solid documentati<strong>on</strong> of the site selecti<strong>on</strong> approach<br />
particularly the exclusi<strong>on</strong> criteria which are very important in a seismically active country like Japan. Additi<strong>on</strong>ally, NUMO as an<br />
organisati<strong>on</strong> had to be recognised as technically credible, particularly with regard to tailoring the design of disposal facilities and<br />
the associated safety case to the specific c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s found in volunteer sites. To facilitate achieving both these ambitious goals,<br />
NUMO set up both domestic and internati<strong>on</strong>al technical advisory committees that drew together the experience needed.<br />
Although there was some overlap, the domestic advisory committee (DTAC) with its sub-committees was mainly charged with<br />
developing a technical c<strong>on</strong>sensus <strong>on</strong> the supporting science and technology associated with site selecti<strong>on</strong> and characterisati<strong>on</strong>,<br />
repository design and l<strong>on</strong>g-term safety assessment. As such, the total number of members was large and they were drawn predominantly<br />
from academia, professi<strong>on</strong>al societies and R&D organisati<strong>on</strong>s. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> internati<strong>on</strong>al committee (ITAC) focused more <strong>on</strong> putting<br />
Japanese work into a wider c<strong>on</strong>text and <strong>on</strong> drawing <strong>on</strong> experience both positive and negative - from nati<strong>on</strong>al programmes that<br />
had advanced further. Hence ITAC members were originally selected <strong>on</strong> an ad pers<strong>on</strong>am basis because they had comprehensive<br />
knowledge of nati<strong>on</strong>al waste management programmes. Although it was not the original primary focus, the involvement of ITAC<br />
members with NUMO grew with time so that most also actively participated in particular NUMO projects.<br />
6) CURRENT STATUS OF PHASE II INVESTIGATION, MIZUNAMI<br />
UNDERGROUND RESEARCH LABORATORY (MIU) PROJECT - 16262<br />
Tadahiko Tsuruta, Masahiro Uchida, Katsuhiro Hama, Hiroya Matsui, Shinji Takeuchi, Kenji Amano, Ryuji Takeuchi,<br />
Hiromitsu Saegusa, Toshiyuki Matsuoka, and Takashi Mizuno, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (Japan)<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) Project, a comprehensive research project investigating the deep<br />
underground envir<strong>on</strong>mental in crystalline rock, is being c<strong>on</strong>ducted by Japan Atomic Energy Agency at Mizunami City, Central<br />
Japan. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> MIU Project is being carried out in three overlapping phases: Surface-based Investigati<strong>on</strong> (Phase I), C<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> (Phase<br />
II), and Operati<strong>on</strong> (Phase III), with a total durati<strong>on</strong> of 20 years. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> overall project goals of the MIU Project from Phase I through<br />
to Phase III are: 1) to establish techniques for investigati<strong>on</strong>, analysis and assessment of the deep geological envir<strong>on</strong>ment, and 2) to<br />
develop a range of engineering for deep underground applicati<strong>on</strong>. Phase I was completed in March 2004, and Phase II investigati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
associated with the c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> of the underground facilities are currently underway.<br />
Phase II investigati<strong>on</strong> goals are to evaluate geological, hydrogeological, hydrogechemical and rock mechanical models developed<br />
in Phase I and to assess changes in the deep geological envir<strong>on</strong>ment caused by the c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> of underground facilities. Geological<br />
mapping, borehole investigati<strong>on</strong>s for geological, hydrogelogical, hydrogeochemical and rock mechanical studies are being<br />
carried out in shafts and research galleries in order to evaluate the models. L<strong>on</strong>g-term m<strong>on</strong>itoring of changes in groundwater chemistry<br />
and pressure associated with the c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> of the underground facilities c<strong>on</strong>tinue in and around the MIU site, using existing<br />
borehole and m<strong>on</strong>itoring systems.<br />
This report summarizes the current status of MIU Project <strong>on</strong> results of the Phase II investigati<strong>on</strong>s to date.<br />
7) APPROACHES FOR MODELLING TRANSIENT UNSATURATED-SATURATED<br />
GROUNDWATER FLOW DURING AND AFTER CONSTRUCTION - 16242<br />
Matt White, Gals<strong>on</strong> Sciences Limited (UK); Jordi Guimera,AMPHOS XXI C<strong>on</strong>sulting S.L (Spain);<br />
Hiroshi Kosaka, Takuya Ohyama, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (Japan);<br />
Peter Robins<strong>on</strong>,Quintessa Limited (UK) Hiromitsu Saegusa, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (Japan)<br />
C<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> of underground research laboratories and geological disposal facilities has a significant transient impact <strong>on</strong><br />
groundwater flow, leading to a drawdown in the water table and groundwater pressures, and groundwater inflow into shafts, access<br />
ways and tunnels accompanied by desaturati<strong>on</strong> of the surrounding rock. Modelling the impact of underground facilities <strong>on</strong> groundwater<br />
flow is important throughout the c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> and operati<strong>on</strong> of the facilities, e.g. estimating grouting and water treatment<br />
facility requirements during c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong>, and estimating the rate of resaturati<strong>on</strong> of the engineered barrier system and the establishment<br />
of steady-state groundwater flow after backfilling and closure.<br />
Estimating the impact of these effects requires modeling of transient groundwater flow under unsaturated c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s at large<br />
scales, and over l<strong>on</strong>g timescales. This is a significant challenge for groundwater flow modelling, in particular because of the n<strong>on</strong>linearity<br />
in groundwater flow equati<strong>on</strong>s, which can have a marked effect <strong>on</strong> suitable timesteps for transient calculati<strong>on</strong>s. In additi<strong>on</strong>,<br />
numerical grids need to be developed at appropriate scales for capturing the transiti<strong>on</strong> between saturated and unsaturated<br />
regi<strong>on</strong>s of the sub-surface, and to represent the features of complex hydrogeological structures such as heterogeneous fractured<br />
rock.<br />
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